The present invention is related generally to the field of locating and/or guiding an underground boring tool using a locating signal which is transmitted through the ground and, more particularly, to a method and associated apparatus for locating and/or guiding the boring tool in a way which compensates for skin effect that potentially introduces error in locating and/or guiding the boring tool as a result of conductivity of the earth through which the locating signal passes.
Referring to FIG. 1, boring tools are typically guided or located by transmitting a dipole field from a dipole transmitter which is positioned within the drill bead of the boring tool. The locating/dipole field is an oscillating signal that is generally emitted from a dipole antenna oriented along the rotational axis of the drill head. FIG. 1 illustrates a coordinate system including x, y and z axes with a dipole transmitter D at its origin. For a point p, at a radius r from the origin, the dipole equations are given as: ##EQU1##
Where B.sub.x, B.sub.y and B.sub.z represent orthogonal components of the dipole field at point p. The dipole equations are recited herein for the benefit of the reader since these equations form a fundamental basis for the use of a dipole field in locating applications. One such locating system is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,002 which is commonly assigned with the present application. Traditionally, boring tool systems have not used compensation for conductivity of the soil even though this conductivity introduces a phenomenon commonly referred to as skin effect. While skin effect can result in significant locating errors, applicants submit that prior art systems have not provided such compensation, at least in part, since it is perceived in the art that compensation for skin effect is an extremely complex proposition.
What prior art system designers have generally done is to altogether ignore skin effect. This is tantamount to an assumption of a non-conducting earth. Accordingly, the electromagnetic field emitted by the magnetic dipole of a transmitter into a non-conducting medium (such as air) is described mathematically by the well known cubic law of a magnetic dipole (see FIG. 1). Unfortunately, however, as a direct result of skin depth, drilling in the earth can produce significant deviations from the cubic law when a typical oscillating magnetic dipole field is used. The latter term describes a magnetic dipole having a signal strength that varies sinusoidally with time.
The present invention provides a highly advantageous and heretofore unseen method and associated apparatus which provide compensation for skin effect in underground boring tool applications.